A LETTING agent once based in Oldham has been hit with penalties worth thousands for operating illegally.

David Walters of 4Property UK Ltd, which was once based at Salmon Fields but is now based in South London, has been hit with three penalties of £1,000.

Back in 2014, it became a legal requirement for all letting and property management agents in England to be a member of one of two state-authorised redress schemes.

These redress schemes allow customers to complain to them if their complaint cannot be resolved with letting and property management agents themselves.

But in 2020, Oldham Council's trading standards team received information to suggest Walters was not a member of a redress scheme.

An investigation revealed he had been expelled from one of them, the Property Redress Scheme, and was therefore operating illegally.

The council served two notices of intent, then two final notices offering Walters the option of paying penalties or appealing to a civil court called the First Tier Tribunal.

He did not respond to the notices, which is when the council issued the penalties to the sum of £3,000.

Councillor Amanda Chadderton, deputy leader of Oldham Council and cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: "The vast majority of local lettings agents operate within the law and are signed up to a redress scheme.

"This allows tenants and landlords to get an independent and fair adjudication if they have a complaint.

"This case shows the council will act when letting and property management agents fail to register with an approved redress scheme.

"We will always try to work with agents and help them, but legal action will be taken where they fail to adhere to legal requirements.”

Any customers with a complaint about a letting or property management agent can ask for the details of their complaint procedures and their redress scheme membership.

If they suspect the agent is not a member of a redress scheme, they are asked to report it to the Citizens Advice helpline on 0808 223 113.